Self-Portrait 1917

This is a self-portrait by Max Pechstein, made sometime around 1917. I imagine him creating this etching with a needle on a metal plate, incising lines that capture his likeness. See how Pechstein uses a network of sharp, angular lines to construct his face. It’s all hatching and cross-hatching, a real flurry of marks. His brow is heavy, creased with thought or worry, and those eyes seem to be looking inward. What was going through his mind as he made this? The way he’s rendered his own image feels urgent and raw. The starkness of the black lines against the white paper leaves nowhere to hide. There is a certain drama here that reminds me of other Expressionist artists, like Kirchner, who were also grappling with ways to portray inner emotional states. Artists are always in dialogue, aren't they? This piece shows how the act of looking at oneself can become an intense form of expression. It embraces the uncertain space between seeing and feeling.